Across the Border
by Koten123
Summary: Johto believed relations with Kanto were as peaceful as always, but when Kanto begins to conduct in strange activity, war soon begins between the sister regions. Follow the journey of a trainer whose journey begins on the dawn of war. Will he manage to survive? Or Will he Succumb TO the pressure?
1. Chapter 1

The stars were dull against the bright lights of Cerulean City. The Water Festival was still going strong late through the night, and the screams and shouts of gleeful children attested to the fact that the night still seemed young. The Celebration of Aquatic life, freshwater and marine alike, annually united the people of the town hailed for its ecologically friendly lifestyle. Misty, the water princess and famed gym leader, sponsored free gym battles and aquatic shows, adding to the bright atmosphere and camaraderie.

A shadowed figure walked among the festivities with a purpose; he pushed through the crowds of people as they made their way to carnival rides and vendors selling food and trinkets. He straightened the collar on his brown trench coat, shielding his face even more from the sight of those surrounding him. He turned right on an old street and then entered an old hotel.

Ignoring the manager at the desk, the figure walked into the elevator and pressed 14- the top floor. He exited and passed all the doors of the dimly lit hallway. Pushing through a door labeled roof, the man gave a sigh of relief when he realised his associate had beat him there him there. He wanted the long day to come to a close.

"Are all preparations in place?" The shadowed figure asked his associate- he was in no mood for small talk.

"Yes, and as you can imagine master is happy."

"I can't believe after all this time that We're finally going through with this; it feels like yesterday that we were mapping out prospective solutions."

"Soon Kanto will no longer worry about this energy crisis; we will live in a new age of resource prosperity and peace! No longer will there be anymore Shortages or blackouts. Just look at Cerulean! The perfect example of what the future will look like. Can't you see it grandpa?" 'The associate stretched his arms out towards the city, and "grandpa" followed the grand gesture with a gleam in his eye.

"Blue, always the dreamer. You get that from your father."

"Without dreams how could I have gotten this far, working with the best minds in Kanto to ensure its security? Grandpa, you're seeing history being made before your eyes! Kanto will once again be on top in economy again! The top political power in the world. The training Capital of all the regions, and there's just One thing standing between us and Kanto's destiny."

"The thorn in master's, and all of ours, flesh."

"Johto."


	2. Chapter 2

The day I left for my journey it was raining- pouring even. Granted, no one wanted to start under unfavorable conditions. I had already prepared a week before and had texted Joselyn and Marilyn, and they agreed that today was the day to go.

Anyway, I had just picked up my bag and Pokeball when I received a text from Joselyn.

**TEXT MESSAGE: JOSELYN 8:15 AM**

_We out here_.

I responded with a quick smiley face and placed my phone in my pocket. I glanced out the window and saw the red head of Joselyn and the blonde top of Marilyn each standing under a respective umbrella in front of my back porch.

I had lived in Johto for the majority of my life. I wasn't born here; no, I was actually born in Kanto. I don't really remember much from Kanto, only my Mother's and Father's room in Cerulean City- my father was alive at the time. We moved to Johto when I was two, and I've lived here ever since. My mom and my brother were both from Johto so they would tease me about being some estranged immigrant- not funny, right?

I considered, and still consider, myself full Johtoan, but sometimes, ok more than sometimes, I was ridiculed for being Kantonese. I guess to some extent I was- my deceased father was originally from Kanto, Pallet Town to be exact. I looked a lot like him from all the pictures I've seen.

My Mother's family was less than thrilled that she married a foreigner, and I don't have much relation with my dad's family except for an aunt, an uncle, and my grandma. Most of their resentment is towards my mom, but I can see their looks of distaste at my bloodline.

Anyways, my bed was made, and I checked several times so my mother wouldn't be bothering me about it while I was out. I looked at the soothing green walls that had surrounded me for the most of my life. I gazed at the plush Mudkip that sat on my computer desk in the far corner of my room.

It was hard leaving my home.

This was the life I had known for almost all of my life, but it was time for me to grow up. So I turned off the lights in my room and walked out, almost without a single, lingering thought.

I climbed down the stairs and was met with the living room and kitchen. We had an open house concept so my mother could cook and watch TV at the same time- or that's the reason I thought we had the house. My mom wasn't home yet. She was at her breeding facility. She had opened it up when we had moved back to Johto. It was pretty successful, especially for it to be located in New Bark town. I mean, it is no longer small like it used to be when my brother was here, but it was much smaller than say... Goldenrod city.

I had lived here for a good part of my life. I graduated from school here- New Bark high. I graduated at number eighteen in my class, so you could say I was pretty smart. Marilyn, though, graduated at number two in our class and Joselyn fourteen, so you could pretty much say we were a bad ass group of nerds.

Everything was so quiet in the house. The TV was off, the air conditioning currently was running, and our pet Snubbull was nowhere to be seen. I wanted a little more, y'know? You would think that the beginning of an epic journey would be so much more lustrous, but it wasn't. It was dull.

Regardless, I walked through the kitchen to go through the back door. The sky blue kitchen was lighted well. The bright colors providing a sense of natural sunshine. The marble gray backsplash added to the natural light. I rubbed my hands across the granite counters to delay my leaving. I was really going to miss my home

Before, however, I could get my hand on the door, I felt a tug on my shoulder. I looked to the side and saw that there was no hand.

"Geronimo!" I had said excitedly. I turned around fully and faced my mom's Alakazam. His spoons floated around his hands in a complicated dance.

"Lyson." He responded calmly. He looked me up and down in contemplation. "Do you have everything you need? I can make sure. Are you sure about this? It's raining master. I can't see-" I cut him off with a forceful hug.

"I'm gonna miss you too Geronimo." I pulled back and gave a small smile. He had always been around; acting as a baby sitter, mentor, friend, and even a father figure. Thinking back on it, I should have said more about how much he meant to me.

"Why yes, Lyson you will be missed." He said as formal as ever. "Now remember if you ever find yourself in trouble, we are linked," he outstretched a spoon and it glowed, causing a stirring in my brain, "I will be there as fast as possible." I nodded and gave him another quick hug.

"I'll see you later. Don't worry too much about me." His face held it's impassive state, but his eyes revealed his real emotions- sorrow, distress, but also approval.

I turned and placed my hand on the doorknob to the backdoor. I turned my head and gave him one last smile. I finally opened the white door and was greeted to a shivering Joselyn and Marilyn.

"My two favorite girls!" I said excitedly. They stared at me with bored expressions, obviously over the pre-adventure excitement.

"Its cold and raining, so explain why are you so damn happy?" I could only shrug as I grabbed an umbrella from a blue bin on our porch. I opened it and took a step forward so I stood directly in front of them.

"Well I believe we should be on our way." They both nodded and we made our way to Professor Elm's lab- our first stop on our pokemon journey.


	3. Chapter 3

It seemed that ever since I'd been there, New Bark had never changed. The houses were all the same- each looking like a cabin in the woods, most homes with some sort of exposed silvery stone and wooden beams. The similarity of each house spoke to claims that New Bark town was a grand suburbia.

Of course there were some new additions; a new gym had been opened up in our quaint town. Not a league sanctioned gym, no, but one where bypassing trainers could train and work out with their pokemon. It was a huge success with local trainers and gymheads. I had even become familiar with the gym myself because of my time on the swim team and because of preparations of this quest of mine.

The sky was bleak. The rain pelted us, and we only had limited protection from it with our umbrellas. Thick, charcoal clouds covered the sky and the sun. The atmosphere, however, didn't seem to affect the mundane atmosphere of our town; everyone went about their usual schedule- some by themselves, others accompanied by domesticated pokemon.

I was glad I lived so close to the Lab. The walk was only a short five minutes, and with company, it seemed to go by even faster than usual. I used to come here often as a child; the professor, Elm, was close friends with my older brother and my mom. He was actually the one who gave my brother his first pokemon, a Cyndaquil, some years ago.

Finally, we saw the front of the lab. Even before walking in, you could tell that the building was prestigious. It had grand marble columns that stood out in front of brick exterior. The building was three stories and could probably fit three houses, easily, on the inside. A stone rectangle that came about four feet off the ground announced what this building was in large bold letters: JOHTO MAIN LAB: HOME TO THE FAMOUS PROFESSOR ELM, FAMED EVOLUTIONARY SCIENTIST.

It looked more like a museum than an actual lab, and it had a plethora of tourists visit it each year.

We entered the lab, Marilyn's eyes in amazement and Joselyn's eyes in indifference. This was something Marilyn had always been passionate about- chemistry, biology, genetics, medicine, and science in general. She had wanted to be a pokemon surgeon for as long as I had known her, and working with Professor Birch was an even grander dream of hers. I had no doubt that she could do it, and even exceed Birch and, maybe, just maybe, even surpass Professor Oak.

Joselyn on the other hand, had little interest in the scientific side of pokemon. She was much more interested in the graceful, artistic side of pokemon. It wasn't uncommon to see her with a sketch pad and a pocket full of pencils; actually, to be honest, it was rare to see her without her sketch pad and utensils. The world would probably stop before that ever happened. Her dream was to become a famous artist and pokemon trainer, not unlike Unova's own Burgh.

"...and this, oh my god THIS, is Professor Elm's first egg incubator. Look how huge it is! Imagine lugging one of these around in the forest." Her hands pawed at the glass case around the old fashioned egg carrier. Her head snapped quickly, a little inhumanely quick if you ask me, and turned to another exhibit. "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT, IT'S..." Marilyn's hair was frizzy from the humidity and her forehead wrinkled in excitement. Her light gray t-shirt rode up as she stood on her tip toes to get a better look at, what looked like, a prototype book bag bike; her blue jeans were slightly wrinkled and her chocos squealed with each optimistic step she took.

I looked to my right to me at the shorter red. Joselyn's eyes rolled as she looked at her sister fawn over the various scientific artifacts. Her eyes were lazy while looking around the lab, ok musuem.

"Marilyn, do you have to react like that with every single damn thing you see?" Joselyn said annoyed. "You're holding us up, and some of us would like to get this journey started with. I mean we've already had a delayed start because of all this damn rain, we don't need you slowing us down with your obsessive fangirl- Is that Silver's "A Dark Night?!" Joselyn immediately bolted to a corner of a wall, tugging my arm in her direction.

I chuckled at the ginger's slight hypocrisy- get her started on art and there was no stopping her.

"This- this was one of his very first paintings on his pokemon journey. He said, that as he reflected on the moon and the stars and..." She began a spiel about Silver's transcendental beliefs and I smiled at her passion. "...the greatest delights are the things that we make delightful ourselves." She squealed with delight and her cheeks turned a rosy color. She was kind of in love with the Champion's advisor. "Markus, when are you introducing me to him anyway?" Marilyn and Joselyn were some of the few people who called me by my middle name; not that I actually minded.

"I barely even know the guy, you'd have to talk to my br-"

"Ahh there you guys are!" We all turned around and saw the overworked professor. His hair was wild and his lab coat was too large for his wiry frame. Ever since I had known him, Professor Elm always wore his clothing a little too large. "I'd been looking for you guys." Joselyn sent her sister a small glare. "Anyway, make your way to the main lab with me."

Marilyn basically squealed in the back of her throat.

Professor Elm led us to the "inner chambers" of his large lab. We were taken through a burgundy door and introduced to a, surprisingly, small lab. The walls were a nice, soothing beige and the floor was linoleum tile. His lab only had three assistants; no doubt, some of closest and most prized associates. They were all hunched over small black tables, doing some form of scientific work.

The evolution expert stood in front of us with a small smile on his face. Though not blatantly obvious, I could tell he was analyzing us. I just wished I could know what he was saying. A few moments passed before Joselyn cleared her throat in impatience.

"Ahh yes, sorry got caught in my thoughts there," he took a short pause to clear his throat. "The three of you, welcome. To-today you start the beginning of the rest of your life. Each of you must fulfill their own destiny, no matter the legacy of those before you," his eyes pointed towards me,"Now, starting on a journey is a big responsibility for anyone. I remember my first steps and thoughts, and I wish that I had been a little more responsible. But, I have the greatest confidence in all of you." He turned his back to us and picked up three things from a titanium table.

Fanning the items out, he said: "These nifty devices are pokedexes." I could basically hear Joselyn's eye roll. "Pokemon encyclopedias, now these are just the first stage ones, plenty of add-ons are available in stores, but these are basically all you're going to need." He handed me a green, more so emerald, one, gave Marilyn a one, and Joselyn a one.

"Well now that you guys have those, I guess the last thing to do is to give you your official starter pokemon."

It had been decreed years ago in Johto, that trainers were required by law to receive a government pokemon. They were raised in special breeding facilities to ensure relatively easy travel for the first couple weeks of a journey. Granted, everything didn't always work out as wanted; there was still trainer death, but the statistics had lowered since the law had been enacted.

"Now all I need now is your pokemon licenses and everything else is easy."

We each pulled our licences and handed them to the professor. He smiled graciously and walked towards a large, metallic machine. Its beeps filled the room as he pressed various buttons. A large ping was heard and he smiled once more. He entered in Joselyn's card first; it slid in smoothly.

Professor Elm softly hummed as he began tapping on the touch screen of the machine. I sent a sideway glance towards my gingered friend and saw the brightest smile I'd ever seen on her. Her hands vibrated with anticipation and joy, eyes blinking rapidly, feet tapping.

Finally, the machine pinged once more and a sphere rolled out of a circular slot.

A pokeball.

The red top glistened as it finally came to a stop.


End file.
